REACHING CONSENSUS
RAP PUBLICATION 2007/31
Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission
REACHING CONSENSUS Multi-stakeholder processes in forestry:
D.A. Gilmour, P.B. Durst & K. Shono
FOOD AND AGRICULTUR ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED |
The designation and presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for sale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. |
© FAO 2007
ISBN 978-974-7946-98-7
For copies write to: |
Patrick B. Durst |
Since the Earth Summit at Rio in 1992, there has been a significant change in the institutional settings for forest management dialogue and decision-making. Prior to Rio, the most common paradigm could be characterized as a top down one of “government knows best.” However, in many countries this led to considerable conflict over many aspects of the way that forests were managed, not least being agreement on the social objectives of forest management. Progress became mired in uncertainty and dissension. Since 1992, there has been a universally accepted focus on the goal of sustainable forest management, with its emphasis on integrating economic, social and environmental outcomes. However, a social construct such as sustainability is subject to competing claims over its interpretation, and it is inevitably contested at all levels from the global to the local. This has meant a move towards a more inclusive approach to decision making; one that has involved an expansion of the number of stakeholders involved in debating and making decisions about forest issues.
By nature, forestry is multi-disciplinary and highly complex. In addition to timber needed to sustain forest industries, forests provide a wide range of goods and services that ultimately ensure the well-being of societies. They provide food, medicine and other plant material directly needed by humans, help to maintain the hydrological cycle, regulate climate, harbor biodiversity, protect cultural values, and support other economic sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism and wood-based industries.
Considering the broad range of people and sectors impacted by forests, decision-making in forestry can no longer be the exclusive domain of governments and the privileged groups of people. For forest management to be successful in today’s world, mechanisms must be established to ensure effective participation of diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes. The purpose of such multi-stakeholder processes is to balance the perspectives and priorities of all affected and interested individuals and groups, leading to forest management approaches that better serve the needs and priorities of all. Such processes also serve to foster wider support and a sense of ownership for the decisions that are taken, so that their implementation will be more effective.
Over the past two decades, a large number of multi-stakeholder processes have been established in Asia and the Pacific to strengthen forest management decision-making. Some have been founded at the regional or international levels, but most are active at national or local levels, where forest management has the greatest immediate impact on individuals. International organizations, such as FAO, should continue to play a role in building the capacity of forestry and other agencies to facilitate and promote more generalized multi-stakeholder dialogues and decision-making.
Experiences of the multi-stakeholder processes in the Asia-Pacific region have been mixed. Initially, progress was been slow, but more recently there is evidence that the forest management paradigm is changing for the better. More and more multi-stakeholder processes are being established and existing processes appear to be benefiting from the experiences of earlier initiatives. This publication is intended to further increase the knowledge and understanding of multi-stakeholder processes in forestry in the Asia-Pacific region. We hope that it will subsequently lead to more rapid adoption of multi-stakeholder processes that are truly effective in delivering the diverse benefits of forests to society in a balanced and equitable manner.
He Changchui
Assistant Director-General and
Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific
Several people provided constructive comments to an earlier draft of this paper, and helped to ensure that it presents a comprehensive and balanced treatment of the subject. Of particular note were the contributions of David Cassells, Tony Costantini and David Lamb. The authors would also like to extend appreciation to the many people who have contributed information on various multi-stakeholder processes in the region. To all of them, many thanks.
ACICAFOC |
Central American Association for Indigenous and Agroforestry Communities |
AFP |
Asia Forest Partnership |
APFC |
Asia Pacific Forestry Commission |
CAR |
Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative |
CIFOR |
Center for International Forestry Research |
COFO |
Committee on Forestry |
CPF |
Collaborative Partnership on Forests |
CRA |
Comprehensive Regional Assessment (Australia) |
CSD |
Commission on Sustainable Development |
DFCC |
District Forest Coordination Committee |
DFID |
UK Department for International Development |
DENR |
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines) |
FAO |
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
FGLG |
Forest Governance Learning Groups |
FLEG |
Forest Law Enforcement and Governance |
FLEGT |
Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Task Force |
ForestPACT |
Forest Partnership for Action and Commitment Today |
FPCD |
Foundation for People and Community Development |
FSC |
Forest Stewardship Council |
FSSP |
Forestry Partnership |
FSSP&P |
Forest Sector Support Program and Partnership |
FUG |
Forest User Group |
GFTN |
Global Forest and Trade Network |
IAF |
International Agreement on Forests |
ICRAF |
World Agroforestry Center |
IDRC |
International Development Research Centre |
IFF |
Intergovernmental Forum on Forests |
IGO |
International governmental organization |
IIED |
International Institute for Environment and Development |
IPF |
Intergovernmental Panel on Forests |
ITTA |
International Tropical Timber Agreement |
ITTO |
International Tropical Timber Organization |
LGU |
Local government units |
MFP |
Multi-stakeholder Forestry Programme |
5MHRP |
5 Million Hectare Reforestation Project |
MNSC |
Multi-stakeholder national steering committee |
MSP |
Multi-stakeholder process |
NFP |
National forest programme |
NGO |
Non-governmental organization |
NIPAS |
National Integrated Protected Areas System |
Norad |
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation |
ODA |
Official Development Assistance |
PAMB |
Protected Area Management Board |
RECOFTC |
Regional Community Forestry Training Center |
RFA |
Regional Forest Agreement |
RIL |
Reduced Impact Logging |
RRI |
Rights and Resources Initiative |
SIDA |
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency |
SPC |
Secretariat of the Pacific Community |
TFD |
The Forests Dialogue |
TNC |
The Nature Conservancy |
UNCED |
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development |
UNFF |
United Nations Forum on Forests |
USAID |
United States Agency for International Development |
USDA |
United States Department of Agriculture |
VFDS |
Vietnam National Forestry Development Strategy |
VPA |
Voluntary Partnership Agreement |
WBCSD |
World Business Council for Sustainable Development |
WCFSD |
World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development |
WRI |
World Resources Institute |
WSSD |
World Summit on Sustainable Development |
WWF/IUCN |
World Wide Fund for Nature/World Conservation Union |
“To remain relevant…forestry institutions must evolve into or be replaced by new organization norms that are characterized by open, learning institutions that are based on participation, collaboration and mutual learning through adaptive management and action research.”
(Cassells, 2001 p.7)
Unlike in the old days, it does not make sense any more to sit with a few friends in some headquarters office cooking up national plans for forests. You have to involve people in planning if your plan is to have much hope of being listened to and implemented by them.
(Mayers, 2003, p.1)